Mike Wilson obituary

Wilson worked 60-hour weeks, but enjoyed socialising, cigarettes and whisky

Mike Wilson may have been the chief executive of a top-ranking financial advisory group, but he did not conform to the stereotype of the egocentric, greed-is-good investment manager.

With a shy smile reflecting behind thin spectacles rimmed with gold, Wilson would greet each of his financial advisers by name, even when their numbers ran into hundreds.

Shrewdly he remembered the names of their partners, and even their personal interests. “I believe that people perform best when they feel respected, valued, cared for and appreciated,” Wilson said in 2016. “Certainly,” he reflected, “I performed best when people treated me that way.”

Quite who encouraged Wilson to aspire beyond his first job, delivering loaves of bread, is unknown. His quiet charisma certainly helped. Playing squash as an…

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